All of these landmarks are beautiful. It's very interesting to see how much culture, especially religion, has shaped these "must see places." Also, I felt like I was traveling through time and got to examine the feats of new architectural eras, though some would debate that architectural works from the past are more outstanding strictly by the means in which they built these masterpieces. It needs to be said (to add to the wonderment of these places) that most of these monuments are built in places where the overall economic status is low; to see things like temples and churches of such great magnitude and beauty built with such craftsmanship, dedication, and money (even though it is scarce) shows how much they rely on their faith. I was also disappointed to see that the two monuments displayed for America, the Lincoln Memorial and the St. Louis Arch, were, in my opinion, not the best picks. Compared to the other landmarks ours feel so mundane, so void of history and culture (maybe, that's because I have grown up seeing them all my life and their meaning and awe has deteriorated to me.) I guess this can be attributed, in part, to the fact that our country is newer and has not yet grown enough to have the rich history including the trials and tribulations in which other countries have had which makes their culture more fascinating and intriguing to me.

Sophia, Thanks for your very fine comment! I agree with you entirely, and especially about the Lincoln Memorial and St Louis Arch. Better choices might be the Grand Canyon, the Giant Sequoia trees in California, the National Cathedral in DC, or even Mt Rushmore? And some of the ancient cliff dwellings in the Southwest are amazing. Too bad they did not consult us.

Earth is a chemical battery where, over evolutionary time with a trickle-charge of photosynthesis using solar energy, billions of tons of living biomass were stored in forests and other ecosystems and in vast reserves of fossil fuels. In just the last few hundred years, humans extracted exploitable energy from these living and fossilized biomass fuels to build the modern industrial-technological-informational economy, to grow our population to more than 7 billion, and to transform the biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity of the earth. This rapid discharge of the earth’s store of organic energy fuels the human domination of the biosphere, including conversion of natural habitats to agricultural fields and the resulting loss of native species, emission of carbon dioxide and the resulting climate and sea level change, and use of supplemental nuclear, hydro, wind, and solar energy sources. The laws of thermodynamics governing the trickle-charge and rapid discharge of the earth’s battery are universal and absolute; the earth is only temporarily poised a quantifiable distance from the thermodynamic equilibrium of outer space. Although this distance from equilibrium is comprised of all energy types, most critical for humans is the store of living biomass. With the rapid depletion of this chemical energy, the earth is shifting back toward the inhospitable equilibrium of outer space with fundamental ramifications for the biosphere and humanity. Because there is no substitute or replacement energy for living biomass, the remaining distance from equilibrium that will be required to support human life is unknown.

Demographers have known for some time that the number of people in India would surpass the number in China, the two most populous countries in the world. But they did not anticipate that the change would happen so quickly.

Concrete Progress is an ongoing series of columns by Peter Brewitt devoted to exploring America’s infrastructure. It is part of Orion’s Reimagining Infrastructure project. Above: a landfill flare burns off excess Continue reading →

Since the beginning of time, humans have been fermenting our food. Sauerkraut, chocolate, beer, cheese: Because of fermentation these foods not only last longer — they are delicious. But although nearly every region of the world has cultivated its own unique fermentation traditions — and devoted eaters — the practice has all but disappeared from many modern households.

Keep the sandbags handy. Previous flood assessments have underestimated the actual risk of dangerous floods in many parts of the country, according to a new study. By looking back at the historical weather records, researchers have found an important synergy between two flood risk factors in coastal zones that has often gone overlooked.

With the Obama administration poised to issue its sweeping rules to cut carbon pollution from power plants, a Texas-based conservative think tank is making a far-fetched bid to quash the new regulations.

It's not the seismic shift environmentalists hope to see one day, but there is evidence that a few Republicans both on and off the campaign trail are searching for a new language on climate change. GOP presidential contenders who hope to capture their party's moderate votes in the primaries -- notably former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham -- have made statements acknowledging the man-made climate change that voters, according to polls, believe is occurring.

Chemicals are all around us. They are crucial in all manner of industries, from agriculture to food to cosmetics. Most people give little thought to how these chemicals are made – and certainly very few would consider the chemical industry as a contributor to our society's dependence on oil. But it is.

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